"Jay Lake & Greg van Eekhout - C-Rock City" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lake Jay)

C-Rock City
Jay Lake & Greg van Eekhout

WHENEVER THE UMS Katie OтАЩHarra called at C-Rock City, I called on
one Rocky Muldoon. Twisted with him in my hammock, his soft snores in
my ear, I ran my palm gently over his stubbled scalp and marveled that
such a weird-looking guy could be so cute.

Rocky was a big manтАФasteroid-big as they sayтАФwhich means all
long, skinny bone and not much muscle mass. Comes of being raised by
peo-ple who donтАЩt ever plan to dive down aтАЩ gravity well again. C-Rock City
had enough frac-gee to stick you to the floor out on the Number One and
Three rotating ends, but that was about it.

Me, I was about as statistically average as a guy gets with a body not
built for any particular envi-ronment. I could be uncomfortable anywhere.

тАЬBusiness,тАЭ muttered Rocky, his ice-blue eyes slowly opening. I
sighed and released the hammock closures, letting Rocky unfold his long
limbs, before reaching for my clothes. He pulled on a pair of briefs and
went for his datapad. I retrieved my own pad from my pants pocket and
sent him Katie OтАЩHarraтАЩs manifest, along with forty thousand Althean marks
coded to the bearer. KatieтАЩs old man had permits for C-Rock City, but
business still cost. As second mate, it was my job to manage those costs.

Rocky smiled and held up his pad. тАЬThanks, Porkpie. ShouldтАЩve taken
care of this before we... you know.тАЭ He nodded toward the hammock, then
shrugged. тАЬNot complaining, mind you.тАЭ

тАЬHope not,тАЭ I said. тАЬYouтАЩre still my favorite port of call.тАЭ

He shrugged again, a blush spreading from his cheeks to his
shoulders and on downward, then glanced at his pad. тАЬAnything here I
should know about?тАЭ

тАЬDancing girls for Mercury and forty thousand liters of Fundy Station
Wine,тАЭ I quipped. Actually Katie was just hauling machine parts and Jovian
lace-crystals. Nothing exciting. Nothing C-Rock Port Control needed to
worry about, anyway.

Rocky laughed dutifully. тАЬSame old lies.тАЭ
 No, I thought, laughing convincingly in return. This time, different lies.

Rocky, as honest a port control officer as IтАЩd ever known, spent
another few quiet moments looking over the manifest before indicating his
satisfaction with a nod.

тАЬEverything looks good, Porkpie. Including you.тАЭ

We exchanged glances appropriate for people who liked each other